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Pyo Kyung-min

Korea Times K-Culture Reporter

Stay tuned for Pyo Kyung-min's latest K-pop stories, where she digs into the backstories that matter. She’d love to hear from you — share your thoughts at pzzang@koreatimes.co.kr. After all, every article gets better with insights from those who love the scene, just like she does!

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K-pop

After Asian pop category launch, BTS says it won't submit music to Grammys

K-pop juggernaut BTS announced Wednesday that it will not submit its music for consideration at the 69th Grammy Awards, set for February, in a move widely interpreted as a protest against the Recording Academy's new Asian pop category. "We have decided not to submit our music to the Grammys this year," the group said in a statement shared through the Instagram Stories of all seven members. "We hope music can be heard and loved as music itself, rather than being divided by region or language." The septet also thanked its official fandom ARMY and supporters worldwide. The decision comes despite a banner year for the group. Its fifth studio album "ARIRANG," released in March, topped the Billboard 200 with 641,000 units, the biggest week for a group album in more than a decade, while lead single "SWIM" debuted atop the Hot 100. The announcement follows the academy's introduction in June of Best Asian Pop Music Performance, one of five categories added for the upcoming ceremony. Critics have called the category a form of segregation that sidelines Asian acts from major awards. BTS earned thre

Jul 29, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
After Asian pop category launch, BTS says it won't submit music to Grammys
K-pop

Can K-pop convince fans to travel to Korea every year?

BTS packs stadiums in Los Angeles and BLACKPINK headlines Coachella, yet Korea has no equivalent to Coachella and Lollapalooza or Japan's Summer Sonic. There's no festival that makes fans around the world book flights to K-pop's birthplace every single year. "Fanomenon," the K-culture mega event unveiled Monday by the Presidential Committee on Popular Culture Exchange, is the government and industry's most ambitious attempt yet to fill that gap. More than a new festival, it signals a strategic pivot for "hallyu," also known as the Korean wave, from exporting artists and content outward to pulling fans to Korea, converting global fandom into an annual pilgrimage built on concerts, tourism, merchandise and participation. The plan is sweeping. The inaugural festival will run from Dec. 2 to 12, 2027, at Seoul Arena in northern Seoul's Dobong District and KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, anchored by concerts by artists from the rosters of SM, YG, JYP and HYBE, and an awards ceremony that honors their fandoms. Another event will follow in Los Angeles in May 2028. Organizers project 520,000

Jul 29, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
Can K-pop convince fans to travel to Korea every year?
K-pop

JYP's new girl group OURBIRTHDAY completes 7-member lineup

A new girl group launched by a subsidiary of K-pop powerhouse JYP Entertainment has finalized its seven-member lineup ahead of an official debut, the group's label said Tuesday. OURBIRTHDAY, managed by INNIT Entertainment, introduced four more members, Kuk Cho-rok, Shin Hye-won, U and Kilala, following the release of concept photos for the single "HUNGRY (Side B)" on the group's social media channels. The four join Cho Hye-jin, Baby and Achiraya, who began activities last week with the digital single "HUNGRY (Side A)." The label has described the two releases as a phased predebut, an uncommon rollout in the K-pop industry, where groups typically debut as a complete unit. OURBIRTHDAY is the first girl group associated with JYP Entertainment since NMIXX debuted in 2022. The group's name reflects its aim to make ordinary days feel as special as birthdays, according to the label. The multinational group was first teased through animated characters and a superhero-themed animation series that withheld the members' identities, drawing speculation among fans over whether the project was a virtu

Jul 28, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
JYP's new girl group OURBIRTHDAY completes 7-member lineup
K-pop

KARD disbands after 10 years, but members insist story is not over

The four members of KARD are reluctant to use the word "disbandment." By any common definition, it applies. The co-ed group's contract with DSP Media expires at the end of this year, and the agency announced earlier this month that one final album and world tour would conclude KARD's journey. But sitting down with The Korea Times for an interview at a cafe in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul, Tuesday, the members wanted the word understood on their own terms. "The four of us still want to make music together, but that would just happen in a new environment," Jiwoo said. "I think the misunderstanding was understandable, but there are no plans for us to say goodbye and part ways entirely." J.Seph, the group's rapper, said even his young nephew called to ask. "I explained, like anyone else, I belong to a company, and I'm tied to that company by a contract. The point where that contract ends has simply arrived." In other words, KARD as fans have known it for a decade, a DSP Media act, is ending. What the members refuse to let go of are each other. Nothing concrete is decided, they admit, but

Jul 28, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
KARD disbands after 10 years, but members insist story is not over
K-pop

Boy band NouerA makes speedy return with love-struck EP '.exe'

K-pop boy band NouerA released its fourth EP ".exe" Monday, running what the group calls a program of love for its fans. The album arrives just four months after the release of its third EP in March, marking an unusually quick return. The mini-album captures the group's determination to confess love without hesitation. Borrowing its title from the file extension for executable computer programs, the album carries the message that the seven members will leap across dimensional boundaries for love. While the previous EP "POP IT LIKE" showcased the group's intense energy and bold performances, the new release tells a story of young, innocent romance. Hours ahead of the album's release Monday, the seven members — Hyunjun, Gihyeon, Junpyo, Yuseop, Lin, Fan and Miraku — met with the press at Yes24 Live Hall in eastern Seoul's Gwangjin District to share the story behind the album and their thoughts on it. Taking the stage in hot-pink football uniforms, the members appeared noticeably more seasoned than at their debut last year. "I'm thrilled and excited to be promoting with a fresh, youthful

Jul 27, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
Boy band NouerA makes speedy return with love-struck EP '.exe'
K-pop

ENHYPEN tests K-pop storytelling at San Diego Comic-Con

K-pop boy band ENHYPEN and HYBE Labels' original story intellectual property (IP) "Dark Moon" made their debut at San Diego Comic-Con 2026, bringing the Korean vampire franchise to the center of American pop culture with a panel session, a crowded official booth and a late-night live event, the entertainment giant said Monday. "Dark Moon" is a vampire-themed transmedia franchise that HYBE developed around ENHYPEN's music. The campaign ran from Wednesday through Sunday (local time) at the San Diego Convention Center and nearby venues. HYBE, the parent company of Belift Lab, the group's agency, said the event underscored the franchise's potential to reach mainstream North American audiences with its deep lore. The franchise was first introduced through the group's "Drunk-Dazed" music video in April 2021 and launched as the webtoon "Dark Moon: The Blood Altar" on Naver Webtoon in January 2022. ENHYPEN's music has grown alongside the franchise: The group's 2023 EPs "DARK BLOOD," led by the single "Bite Me," and "ORANGE BLOOD" were built on the same lore, while its 2024 special album "MEMORAB

Jul 27, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
ENHYPEN tests K-pop storytelling at San Diego Comic-Con
K-pop

Stray Kids to drop digital album ahead of new EP

K-pop boy band Stray Kids is set to release a digital album, "SKZ-REPLAY 2026 Pt.1," on Aug. 1, as part of a weeklong run of content leading up to the release of its new mini album "THIS & THAT" due Aug. 7. The digital album, described by the group's label JYP Entertainment as a gift expressing gratitude and sincerity toward fans, arrives at midnight on Aug. 1, the eighth anniversary of the group's official fandom, STAY. The tracklist and cover image are scheduled to be unveiled Monday. The release anchors "2026 STAYweeK," a seven-day celebration running from Saturday through Aug. 1. The group posted a timetable on its official social media channels at midnight Saturday, laying out daily content for fans. The lineup includes the group's first short-form drama series, themed around a fictional company run with fans, with two episodes each released Saturday, Monday and Aug. 1. A pop-up cafe celebrating the fandom's birthday, named after the group's March digital single "Stay," opened Saturday in Seongdong District, Seoul, and runs through Aug. 2 for official fan club members. Other offerin

Jul 26, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
Stray Kids to drop digital album ahead of new EP
People & Events

K-Music Festival returns to London with expanded 13th edition

The K-Music Festival, London's largest celebration of Korean music and culture, returns for its 13th edition this autumn with its broadest program yet, spanning hip-hop, art pop and game soundtracks alongside traditional Korean music, jazz and contemporary composition. Organized by the Korean Cultural Centre UK, the festival runs from Sept. 28 to Nov. 23 across major London venues including the Southbank Centre, Royal Albert Hall, Rich Mix, EartH Theatre and Upstairs at Ronnie's, the newly opened performance space at Ronnie Scott's. Launched in 2013, the annual festival has built a reputation of introducing British audiences to Korean musicians working at the intersection of tradition, jazz and experimental music outside K-pop. Last year's edition saw post-rock band Jambinai become the first traditional Korean act to headline the Barbican and closed with pianist Cho Seong-jin premiering a newly commissioned concerto with the London Symphony Orchestra. This year, the festival widens its scope further to take in contemporary hip-hop and video game soundtracks. The festival opens Sept. 28 a

Jul 26, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
K-Music Festival returns to London with expanded 13th edition
Travel & Food

Shipbuilding island of Geoje bets on hometown idol

GEOJE, South Gyeongsang Province ― The men at the next table did not ask for a long conversation. They simply reached over, set down a few freshly shucked conch with a few words and a shy chuckle, then went back to their soju as if nothing had happened. This was Gohyeon Market on a recent Monday afternoon, and this reporter, a stranger from Seoul with a plate of raw sea bass, had just been adopted for an hour by a table of middle-aged men of South Gyeongsang Province. People from this southeastern province carry a reputation, even among Koreans, for being gruff, blunt, allergic to compliments and small talk. What those conch delivered instead was something closer to the opposite: a simple, unsentimental welcome that asked for nothing back. It is the kind that no K-pop music video can stage, and on Geoje, an island of 230,000 people off Korea's southeastern coast better known for building supertankers than for making memories, it turned out to be everywhere. The island drew thousands of local tourists as a K-pop rookie born on the island has become a YouTube influencer with her vlogs an

Jul 24, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
Shipbuilding island of Geoje bets on hometown idol
K-pop

For LUN8, 'Off the Grid' means letting go

Freedom is not a word that comes naturally to K-pop. The genre runs on precision — choreography drilled to the second, concepts mapped out albums in advance, camera angles rehearsed until nothing is left to chance. Which is what makes LUN8's upcoming fourth mini album, "Off the Grid," something of a rarity. The boy band under entertainment label Fantagio has built an entire release around the one thing the industry is least equipped to manufacture, and the members insist they mean it literally. "It's an album that expresses the freedom of a youth choosing its own path," Yuuma said during an interview at The Korea Times headquarters in central Seoul, July 8. "It carries the idea of stepping outside fixed standards and frames, and drawing a new starting line of our own." The six members, Jinsoo, Yuuma, Kael, Takuma, Junwoo and Ian, spent 10 months on the record, their first since last September's "LOST." That album, along with the single "Butterfly," leaned dark and controlled. This one, set for release 6 p.m. Wednesday, required the opposite discipline — letting go. For Junwoo, the gr

Jul 22, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
For LUN8, 'Off the Grid' means letting go
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